A cleaning businesses is one of the easiest businesses to start up. The business can be based at home and started with products that are already in use. A business, however, will only thrive if it brings in money. For some, setting prices is one of the hardest parts of being an entrepreneur. A simple strategy for calculating cleaning prices is to start with a calculation of the cost and add a percentage mark-up for profit. Profit is an import key to running a business, because it allows business owners to invest in marketing, buying an office space and hiring.

Establish the desired cleaning needs of the customer. Customers can require deep cleanings, such as scrubbing grout and washing baseboards, or just light dusting and vacuuming.

Count the number of rooms to be cleaned. Distinguish the rooms by size, such as large or small, or designation, such as living room or bedroom.

Gauge the level of cleaning actually needed. A customer may only hire you for dusting, but the level of dust may require additional attention to detail. In the end, some spaces are simply dirtier than others and will require more time to clean. Estimate the number of hours it will take to clean the entire office or house. Calculate the number of employees needed to do the job.

Add the hourly rate for each employee. Multiply that amount by the estimated number of hours to clean the house. This amount will equal the total employee wages. Add the amount of tax that you must pay for the total amount of employee wages. This total will represent the total cost for labor.

Add the cost of supplies to the total. If only a portion of supplies will be used, such as 10 percent of a bottle of window cleaner, add a general supply cost of 3 to 5 percent standard to every bill. This new total will be the total cost for services.

Add a percent increase of 5 to 10 percent for profit mark-up. Profit is necessary for your cleaning business to hire new employees, offer employee bonuses, purchase office space, purchase vehicles with your company logo and advertise in the newspaper. This total will result in your cleaning estimate. Present this estimate to your customer before conducting services.